DiggBar Digs up Bitter Nostalgia Among Critics

Digg’s new URL-shortening feature is aggregating as much controversy for the popular web site as it is traffic.

Critics are taking aim at the structure of DiggBar — a toolbar appearing at the top of a browser when users click a link at Digg. The bar displays the content of other sites in a frame, keeping web surfers inside the Digg domain rather than sending them directly to the source of content.

Defenders say Digg still sends traffic to other sites, which receive pageviews as normal. But critics say the toolbar is a suffocating eyesore.

To express his sentiments, Gruber crafted a special version of his web site for DiggBar users, which directs them to a page reading , "Dear Digg, Go fuck yourself. Your pal, JG."

Those turned off by DiggBar find it reminiscent of web sites in the 1990s that utilized frames to separate sections. Framing raised a number of issues that ultimately rendered it into a retired design method. First, frames were not cross-compatible, meaning web sites with frames would display inconsistently between different browsers. Also, some web sites used frames to trap visitors inside their sites even when linking to external content, effectively hijacking traffic. Lastly, web designers today embrace clean and simple interfaces, so framing was dropped because it just looked tacky.

Thus, critics of the DiggBar feel they’re taking in a breath of stale air. Before Thursday’s launch of the DiggBar, Digg would simply display headlines with their Digg point scores next to them. Clicking on a Digg link directed a user to the source of content.

Now, when links are submitted to Digg, the site automatically shortens the URL into an address beginning with
"www.digg.com." The DiggBar stays at the top of the page, and users never leave Digg unless they click the "X" button to close the bar or a small, gray URL displayed under the submission title. The DiggBar can be disabled altogether in user preferences, but dissatisfied users say
Digg should have launched the feature as an option rather than a default setting.

"It’s very 1.0 thinking that you’re going to put someone else’s site in your frame and let the user know, ‘You’re still within the Digg world but we’re allowing you to view this thing that we have provided the platform for you to visit," said Rob Rose, vice president of marketing at CrownPeak.

Clint Ecker, a contributing writer and web developer at Ars Technica, said the DiggBar offends him as a content provider. He quipped that the shortened Digg
URLs detract from attention to the web addresses for the actual providers of content.

"[Digg is] really pissing off a lot of people who could really just stop using Digg," said Ecker, noting that the DiggBar also displays its own advertisements.

However, there are plenty of fans of the DiggBar. Brent Csutoras, an internet marketing consultant who specializes in social media, praised the
DiggBar as a very positive move.

In Digg’s defense, Csutoras said unlike past sites imposing frames, the DiggBar is not intrusive, because it is only a quarter-inch strip at the top of a page. For Digg users, the DiggBar will be very convenient, as they will no longer have to leave Digg to view content before deciding to vote it up or down.

As for content providers, Csutoras said the DiggBar will only improve traffic to their sites. He noted that the DiggBar features buttons to share Digg links via Facebook, Twitter and e-mail. He said there also shouldn’t be a risk of hijacking traffic: Even though the
DiggBar keeps a user at Digg, the content provider’s site is displayed in an inline frame, meaning it still receives a page view and the proper ad revenue for each click.

"The company has a right to use their site the way they want to," Csutoras said. "Digg has made a very clear statement — ‘We want you to share our content.’"

However, the DiggBar debate has yet to simmer down. Even Andrew Sorcini, better known as Digg power user "Mr. Baby Man," appears to be undecided.

"As a URL shortener, it’s not bad," Sorcini tweeted about DiggBar. "As an integrated part of Digg’s standard services… jury’s still out."

Chris Howard, director of product management at Digg, said in an e-mail that Digg welcomes feedback on the new tool.

"We launched DiggBar to improve the overall Digg experience, and to showcase comments and better sharing tools," Howard said. "We will make adjustments based on user feedback to continue to evolve the product."